The present invention relates to a timing generator that generates timing pulses for use to drive a solid-state imaging device.
Camcorders and digital still cameras, including a solid-state imaging device like a CCD, have been known. The time it takes to develop cameras of those types has been shortened and the price thereof has also been brought down. Naturally, their components also have to meet similar types of demands, and also need to be developed in a shorter time and have their costs cut down.
A timing generator is an important component that generates a great number of timing pulses for use to drive a solid-state imaging device.
A timing generator, which includes: a memory for storing time-series data representing a pattern of timing pulses thereon to cope with a change to specifications easily; and a counter for sequentially supplying read addresses to this memory, is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 63-61560.
A timing generator, retrieving multiple horizontally repetitive timing pulses and multiple vertically repetitive pulses from mutually different memories to cut down the memory capacity, is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 9-205591.
A timing generator, including a decoder for decoding leading pulses and another decoder for decoding trailing pulses to set timing pulses programmably using a microcomputer, is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 10-257398.
Timing pulses for use to drive a solid-state imaging device are in huge numbers and have a complicated waveform. Accordingly, none of these known timing generators is free from the problems of an enormous amount of data to be stored and a troublesome data setting procedure.